The Royal House of Oricci is the name of a worldwide royal vogue house, which Arsen represents. While living in Russia, he was the “father” and founder of the southern kiki house, which has a vibrant party scene for younger generations, in addition to organizing vogue balls and judging them. Although he does not call himself a star, he was prominent and influential in his professional environment. 

An independent reporter sat down with Arsen to talk about what it is like to be an openly gay man in Armenia who has been targeted twice, and why, despite that, he does not want to leave. 

While still in Krasnodar, the Russian city where he was born and raised, Arsen realized that he wanted to dance professionally. Although at first it turned out terribly, he wanted to win dance battles at camp, where he went every year as a child, so much so that he gave up boxing and plunged headlong into dancing. 

Arsen Oricci: Of course, boxing helped me realize that I am not weak and can defend my body and spirit, and it gave me strength to act. But I am not the kind of person who, even within the world of sports, likes causing or feeling pain. And dancing gives you the opportunity to feel special, to understand that you create art with your body. With that, you can inspire people, change their lives and give them self-confidence. It’s incredibly inspiring. 

In a world where for most of your life, others instill in you a sense of worthlessness, saying that you will not succeed and you do not deserve anything, dancing and creativity restore self-confidence. Through work and creation, I realized that I am not worthless, my efforts are not in vain and I am capable of something. It gave me inner strength, and with it came calmness. I became kinder, understood how to give, love, protect and create. Dancing gave me energy and the feeling that I could conquer the world.

Question: And how did your family react to the fact that their son is engaged in dancing, not boxing? Did they have suspicions that you’re gay? 

Actually, I have a great family. For all their disadvantages, they have the most important parental advantage: They really sincerely love their children. When I told my mom that I was gay, I had a lot of other problems in my life. 

My family has never been particularly involved in my life. I have always lived separately, I am a loner and solve my problems myself. But one day, [my]mom wanted to be closer to me, and she showed interest in my life. Then I dumped everything on her all at once. I told her about my problems with drugs, my personal life and inner insecurity, and the cherry on top was that I was also gay. And for mom, the most shocking thing was not that I am gay, because before that conversation, I had already been dancing, and sometimes dad would wake up in the morning and ask mom in the kitchen: “Whose heels are these?” Mom said they were Arsen’s, and he was like, “Oh, I see.” They already understood everything perfectly: Both the fact that this comes from a sense of creativity and the fact that I am not like most other people. 

They were more concerned about if I would do something in this life and if I would be happy. And the fact that I had an occupation, I worked and created something, was enough for them just to love me, be proud of me and accept me without asking unnecessary questions. For that I am grateful. It helps me a lot, they’re great. 

Arsen teaches and dances vogue, one of the most popular modern dance styles with a rich and dramatic history. Having originated in the 1960s, vogue became an outlet for queer people of color in New York City, who found it extremely difficult to survive amid widespread intolerance toward LGBTQ+ people. Unable to express themselves in everyday life, they began to organize so-called balls (hence the concept of the vogue ball), where participants could express themselves as they wanted. They could dress up as women, dress up in crazy costumes and parody supermodels and movie stars. These people really lived a ball, where they could be themselves. 

Question: How did your journey of organizing vogue balls in Russia begin?

It all started in Krasnodar, where my friend and I wanted somehow to promote vogue culture. We, in the south of Russia, had large vogue balls, but then many organizers moved to Moscow, and so I had the opportunity to move in. 

We saw that in Krasnodar, where a lot of famous and professional bloggers came from, large and cool vogue balls were not taking place as often. There was simply no one to hold them, and my friend and I decided to hold these events ourselves, so that our contribution to the culture would be remembered and to give something to other people. Because it’s one thing when you go to the balls and support the culture simply by participating, but it’s another thing when your balls are the start for many bloggers and dancers, where they fulfill their talents and ambitions. So you are putting a lot more into the culture than just your participation and support. 

Since vogue culture developed around and through the LGBTQ+ community, initially people rejected by society rallied into “houses,” akin to a family that the dancers could choose for themselves. The houses provided comfort, coziness and complete freedom of creativity and self-expression, as well as like-minded relatives. Often, the vogue family becomes much closer to a real one. And, as in every family, there is a “father” and a “mother” in the house. And it’s up to the fathers and mothers to accept “children” into their houses. Arsen belongs to the worldwide royal house of Oricci, which has legendary status. 

Question: What does it take to get into a house? 

Each house has many different criteria. There is also a certain probation period when you join a house. Among other things, you must be approved by all the fathers and mothers. For example, I have one main father in New York, a European father or mother and a Russian father or mother. 

And in each chapter, local fathers and mothers are looking for new members. They communicate with a person to understand whether this one is close in spirit to the house. And the participant himself must be active in the ballroom scene, organizing, going to battles, winning and bringing trophies to their house. 

And that’s why parents choose candidates, consider them and discuss them with each other, and then it all goes to the main fathers and mothers in New

York. And after that, if you are approved by all the parents, you choose a ball together with your family, where you are announced as a representative of the house of Oricci. 

Question: Considering that vogue balls are a part of queer culture. Was it difficult to organize them in Russia? 

It was not difficult at all, because vogue culture in Russia exists separately from the broader LGBTQ+ community. And there were no difficulties there because vogue culture has existed in Russia for a very long time. It is more than 10 years old, and everyone has already gotten used to it. There is a structure to the balls, there are Telegram channels with a schedule for the year ahead and you have everything so that you can calmly organize and engage in the scene. 

And the most important thing is that people know what vogue is because there were dance shows like Dances on the TNT television channel. Organizing balls in Russia is 10 times easier, cheaper and simpler than in Armenia. 

Despite the fact that Arsen was successful in Russia, and the organizational aspects were much easier than in Armenia, he says he does not regret that he moved and does not plan to return. 

Question: What was it like for you to close your kiki house and leave everything and everyone? 

It had to be done. I would have done it anyway. Back in 2021, I had an obsession — to come to Armenia as a volunteer and do something for this country, because I was acutely worried about the 2020 war here. I have always had an attachment to my small homeland, and this is very valuable to me. 

In many families in Armenia, love for their homeland is imposed, but it was not imposed on me, nor was the language or cultural training. I’ve always liked Armenia, I’ve always wanted to come here at least for a short stay. And when the events of 2022 took place (Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine – ed.), I had no choice where I would go. Of course, this decision was difficult for me, but it was also connected to my political views.

The last straw was that the vogue community in Russia ignored everything, from the war to the adoption of discriminatory laws. And it became clear to me that it would be very difficult for me to build a future in Russia morally. 

Question: And how do you live in Armenia? 

Here I have a very important and necessary mission — to make sure that Armenia has its own vogue ballroom. I also want large vogue balls to be held here, and for people to have that safe space that at one time greatly helped the queer community in New York, across America and in other countries around the world. 

And we have already managed to organize several vogue parties and two major vogue balls in Armenia, to which people from six countries came: Turkey, Georgia, Russia, Cyprus, Iran and the United States. 

Question: You’re talking about the need for a safe space. How safe is Armenia for the community now? 

It all depends, actually. Safety is a fairly subjective feeling. It’s not that I don’t feel safe because I’m gay or a member of the queer community, but I don’t even feel safe in general. The world is not safe at all. That’s why we are working to increase the percentage of people who can feel safe and reduce the percentage of people who commit suicide here, because they are so severely bullied and driven into the mindset that they are not worth love, life and existence. This is unacceptable. 

And if they realize that there are people like them in Armenia who are going through the same difficulties and that they have a community that supports them, it will benefit both the community and the country as a whole, as well as the country’s attractiveness for the Armenian diaspora. The latter, for example, write to me and thank me for holding vogue balls here, because they understand their importance. And this encourages many to come back. After all, the more developed and modern a country is, the more it will attract people. 

It is important for me that the ethnic Armenians in the diaspora come and create something and that they feel comfortable being here. I want to see more educated, tolerant and peace-loving people here.

Question: You were physically assaulted in Yerevan last year, but you still go all in, openly declaring that you are gay. Why? 

Well, I’ve been hunted down twice. It was amusing. Have they announced a hunt for me in Russia? Sure. What is the interest of a gay man’s life in Russia or in Armenia? It’s about the same thing: You’re used to fighting with everyone, being stressed and rejected. It’s a part of your life. 

I don’t give in to this fear. I go into confrontations and by my example I give people the opportunity not to be afraid because if you want changes, you have to take risks. You can, of course, go to Amsterdam and hold balls there, and, of course, not risk anything. But if you’re doing it in a homophobic country, then be prepared. That’s the way. And if we really want to change something, we cannot be cowardly. Unfortunately, the world is not pure, not kind and not soft. 

Of course, being beaten is unpleasant. I walked around with a swollen face for a week and thought, why do I need all this? And that’s fine. There is nothing that no one is afraid of. I’m scared out of my mind too. I don’t want to be attacked. Unfortunately, this is the reality. 

But on the other hand, it’s also a little flattering. After all, if a conservative society felt that it was completely dominant here, it would not react so sharply. And then they realize that there is the threat of bringing new values to Armenia, respect for each other and the rights and freedoms of minorities. This triggers them very much and gives us an incentive to continue working on a common front. 

Question: Is it difficult to organize balls in Armenia? 

It’s difficult to communicate. Again, due to the fact that everyone is quarreling, everything is boiling over. The difference between the queer community in Armenia and Russia is obvious because Armenians do not hush up the problems that occur in this country. They are more open to dialogue. But at the same time, in order to connect all the queers here, you need to go through scandals and intrigues. People are ready to be in conflict, and in this, I see a very good basis for the future development of Armenia because it prevents monopolization. But at the same time, people here are less obliging and efficient. Unfortunately, this is typical of countries of the region and small societies.

Among other things, Yerevan is a very expensive city — for example, our supplies for the ball are several times higher than in Russia, and the premises and prizes are smaller. That is, you spend more resources, but less exhaust than in Europe or the United States, where huge venues are given for balls, there are sponsors and investors ready to hold these events. In Armenia, it is already difficult to find people who will simply support the ball, let alone sponsors. So, yes, it’s difficult, but it’s possible. 

Question: How can balls be useful for Armenia? 

The general attractiveness of the country and development of democracy. I have already said that people from six countries came to our first vogue ball. They spent money here, bought tickets here, and paid for hotels here. That is, it’s all a small contribution to the economy. If you actually give figures or make a long-term business plan out of the queer community, it will be very profitable, because creative people who are part of the queer community make a very big contribution to the economy of every country. 

Among other things, the more open a society is, the more open its people as a whole become to new things and begin to act accordingly. Even straight people, who also feel restricted and have complexes, will stop being ashamed to talk about their feelings, and, feeling safe, they will realize that they can also escape from stereotypical behaviors and thereby give more to this country and society. Everything is made up of little things. 

Unlike Russia, which has fallen back into old ways, in Armenia people have the opportunity to become more civilized. I feel and see this in my lessons, when at the very beginning, I had only Russians, and now there are both Armenian women and Armenian men. People are gradually beginning to allow themselves to come to vogue and not be afraid of it. 

Question: And despite all these difficulties, do you plan to stay in Armenia? 

Yes, because I am principled and mischievous. I told myself that I cannot even think about moving somewhere until the Cascade is completed (a major public infrastructure project in Armenia that has been delayed for decades – ed.) and Armenia becomes a queer-friendly country. I would not want all my efforts to be in vain, because if I just leave when ballroom culture is forming, it will be a big loss for myself.

It is difficult to live here and earn money, but it is possible. The other thing is that if you want something to change, you have to give a personal example. And I want, in addition to working with the queer community, to show Armenians who left and live outside their country that I was able to return, stay in Armenia and achieve my goals here. 

Question: How has Armenia changed you? 

Any step I take here gives me peace of mind and a feeling that I am doing something right because I am doing it in my homeland with my people. Everyone should have their own foundation. For me, it’s family and where I’m from. Many people refuse this foundation for various reasons. 

Yes, I can also leave and, doing something in another country, feel good. I will have a higher social standing, no one will discriminate against me and it will be easier for me to live. But that cannot give me the feeling of spiritual uplift from the fact that I live and create here, because I pay for tea in Armenia. 

Here I feel calm, I breathe deeply. And despite all the difficulties, when I go down from Arabkir to Kentron (two neighborhoods of Yerevan – ed.) and see Ararat (a mountain holy to Armenians – ed.), I am inspired. I have seen quite a lot of architectural and natural beauties as well. There is nothing better for me than the feeling that I am at home, looking at my city and seeing its beauty. This is my meditation, which I’ve never had before, and it’s incredible. 

Question: What would you like to say to the Armenian queer community? 

That they can do anything. And they deserve to have everything. I want them to have an inner core and strength that would allow them to solve their problems, shine and shimmer. It’s very important, they deserve it. They have very difficult destinies. 

Again, what is the difference between queers in Armenia and outside of Armenia? Here I see a lot of personality and individuality in everyone. And that’s fine. But at the same time, I realize what brought them to the point where they are so conflicted. This is a wild pain, these are problems and difficulties in which they live every day, into which they often plunge and do not always come out. It is important to me that they feel that any difficulties can be overcome and that they, having become the best version of themselves,

respect and love themselves. And I will try to convey it all to them by my actions, examples, and even conversations. 

Question: And what would you like to say to the cisgender, heterosexual people of Armenia? 

Again, I would like somehow to help them to have the strength inside to love and accept themselves and to be happy, and only after that, all the problems with homophobia can be solved. As soon as all heterosexual, cisgender people in Armenia become happy, educated and live their lives in peace, they will be able to love everyone else. They will go about their lives. Only unhappiness, stupidity, lack of education, aggression, self-dislike and suppression hinder them. 

And I see how they drown in this aggression, how difficult it is for them. I see their weakness and the fact that few people can afford to stand up for gays. Not because they don’t want to, but because they are afraid of condemnation from the outside. They are afraid to be real. But all people can love, just not everyone has the strength to do it. 

Question: And the last question, Arsen. What makes you charismatic? 

By the way, I’ve always been shy about compliments, but I think the point is that I’m not lying to myself. And even when I danced vogue, it was very caricatured and strange at first, but everyone told me one very important thing: you dance like Arsen, you dance like yourself. 

I never wanted to be like anyone else. I didn’t create idols for myself. I just felt what I felt and broadcast it through dance. And therefore, I think that what I am saying now emotionally and not lying to myself is because I am partly real. Although it is also a very difficult question, you know, what is realness and whether you really know yourself. But it seems to me that I am close to that.

The views expressed in guest submissions do not represent the views of Glimpse from the Globe or its editorial team.

For 21-year-old Tigran*, his biggest fear as a sex worker is that he could be killed at any time when meeting with a client. Or that behind the profile of the woman with whom he corresponds, there may be a man hiding who can also kill him.

“There is a constant aura of fear. You are afraid that you will get sick, that you will be beaten or killed. It has a big impact mentally when you are forced to live in secret. So that someone doesn’t accidentally find out something about you, because sex workers are not accepted in society, especially male sex workers.”

As of 2023, sex work continues to be illegal in Armenia. As Arthur Margaryan, a lawyer for Right Side NGO, says, in Armenia, sex work is considered an offense according to the Administrative Offences Code. In particular, Article 179, paragraph 1, stipulates a fine of 20,000 AMD, approximately $50, for doing sex work (the law uses the word “prostitution”). There is no legal framework for sex workers in Armenia.

All of this contributes to an increase in the number of criminal cases against sex workers, who are currently members of one of the most vulnerable segments of society.

Christina*, a transgender woman and sex worker, also confirms that sex work in Armenia is dangerous. 

“One time my client threatened me, beat me, fought with me,” she said. “Recently, my phone was stolen and the thief used it to log into Telegram and start ordering drugs. They still threaten me on Telegram. Since my family is not from Yerevan, they write to me from fake accounts and say that they will go and burn my family if I don’t send them money.”

Christina also admits that, unlike cisgender sex workers, she, as a trans person, faces discrimination much more often, which is confirmed by Tigran, who says that female sex workers are treated better than male sex workers.

However, discrimination and violence are not the only fears that sex workers in Armenia have (to clarify, the response from the Ministry of Health assumed only cisgender female sex workers). Under the state program, sex workers have the opportunity to undergo a free medical examination and be checked by doctors to prevent HIV infection. If a diagnosis is confirmed, they also receive free treatment. 

But often, workers in the field fear for their health. According to Tigran, many sex workers delay treatment after contracting HIV because they do not have the necessary funds, and in hospitals, it is not free. Treatment is free only in case of an STI, or if you contact some NGOs and other public organizations.

As part of the project, I also spoke with a 31-year-old cisgender sex worker Lilith*, who admitted that she is forced to engage in sex work because her income from floristry is not enough to live and support relatives who have health problems.

Speaking about her health, Lilith focuses on going to a psychologist once every six months, because, in her opinion, “unloved,” stressful work (which for her is sex work) can drive a person “crazy.” Recalling her first experience in this field at the age of 24, Lilith said that she had to go to a psychiatric clinic after a year of work, and the rejection and impossibility of continuing to be in the profession was so strong.

“I couldn’t imagine myself in this, I didn’t like being touched,” Lilith said. “For about a year, I was constantly crying with clients. After that, I went to a psychiatric clinic and was treated there, because I was already starting to go crazy. And already working with a psychologist, I gradually began to enter the profession.”

She had not worked from then until last year, when, due to dire needs, she had to return to sex work.

According to all three respondents, sex work is paid quite well, and the monthly amount exceeds the average monthly salary in Armenia (all sources are located in Yerevan). For example, Tigran charges from $200 to $300 per hour, and if he met clients with the same frequency as other sex workers, he would earn approximately 200,000 AMD (approximately $500) per day. (For comparison, the monthly salary of a journalist can range from $500 to $750 in Yerevan).

Although each of them began the path of working as a sex worker for their own reasons, one thing was constant – they needed money.

By her own admission, Christina was at first gay, not a trans person. “Then I worked in a travel company, where I did translations from Persian into Armenian. When I became trans, I could no longer do this work because my friends and my environment at work no longer accepted me. They accepted me only as a gay man. But I needed money to live, for hormone therapy, to go to the salon.”

Tigran also came to the profession out of need. However, if Tigran and Lilith would happily stop sex work at the first opportunity if they found a stable job with decent pay, then Christina says that she likes her occupation and does not want to change. “This business,” she says, “allows you to combine pleasure and communication with different people, with good earnings.” She also likes the freedom of her schedule and the fact that she works for herself.

Lilith has a completely opposite opinion: “This job has no advantages. Even money, damned money, comes and goes. Yes, you can make money here, but this cannot be considered a plus, because you know that your inner world is being destroyed, your environment does not accept you, society does not accept you… And then you don’t know who you are dealing with. Anything can happen, you meet a person and you don’t know who he is, a murderer or a madman.”

Lilith makes a separate point that sex work is always humiliating, because the client invariably experiences visible disgust for the sex worker, no matter how hard he tries to hide it: “There is no one who would say, oh well, she earns as much as she can. The way things are, they think that since they paid the money, they can treat you however they want.”

And Tigran adds that it is the process of receiving money that is often the most traumatic: “You must be psychologically prepared for the fact that now you will go have sex with a stranger, and he will also give you money for it. This is a kind of stressful situation, because even if you like the person’s appearance and personality, the thought of him giving you money will be depressing. Not everyone can bear it.”

However, despite the obvious difficulties of this work, people still continue to do it and, according to all three respondents, there is enough competition. Of course, the clientele of trans people, men and women, according to Lilith and Christina, does not overlap, but Tigran’s experience is different. Since Tigran is bisexual and dates both men and women, he faces more competition. “Plus, after the Russian-Ukrainian war, many women and men engaged in escorting came to Armenia, and the number of them is off the charts in Telegram channels.”

But contrary to expectations, getting into sex work is not that easy. And, if from a moral side you can still set yourself up, as Lilith says, then from a purely technical side, people are faced with the fact that they do not know which social networks and platforms they can post on how to build a client base, or where exactly to work, such as in a hotel or at a client’s home. Among other things, says Tigran, you also need to be able to communicate competently with a client so that he notices you and chooses you, and Lilith adds that you also need to be able to find an approach to each client in order to avoid possible violence.

And the clients are completely different. Each of the three respondents reported that there is no specific type that constantly visits them. According to them, people with completely different professions come to them, from doctors to politicians and police officers. People with different financial statuses, of different genders, and different ages, as well as both single and married people. Lilith, for example, noted that married couples often call her, whom she, however, refuses.

Despite the fact that completely different people use the services of sex workers, and the demand for their services is truly great, nevertheless, people in the profession are not accepted in society. “Absolutely everyone goes to sex workers, the question is why, after using their services, do they speak out against them?” thinks Tigran.

He believes that this is the “Armenianization” and religiosity of society. “That is: It is not appropriate for an Armenian to engage in such things. But let’s be honest: They say, ‘your families are sacred.’ But the person who says this goes to sex workers and the amount that he could spend on his children and wife, he spends on a sex worker, betraying their wife and children. They say that this is unacceptable, that Armenians should not do such things, that we are spoiling children…”

It is worth noting that the Scandinavian model of working with this area criminalizes the demand for services itself, and not the services and workers as such. In Armenia, according to lawyer Arthur Margaryan, this, unfortunately, is impossible.

Interestingly, Lilith says, many clients prefer sex with a sex worker to sex with women with whom they could build relationships. “I asked many of my clients, and the vast majority of them answered that they were afraid of problems later. Girls who have sex without money are basically a problem. Someone may blackmail him about what she will tell his wife, someone is saying that you should marry me…”

“Everything comes from the family,” continues Lilith. “I recently watched on Facebook how several women were cursing and swearing at sex workers in some group, and out of curiosity I went to their pages. And on one of them, I found photographs of my client: It was her son who comes to do cunnilingus.” The children themselves are already quite promiscuous, Lilith believes, and adds that she would like society to be stricter in matters of sex, so that children do not lose their innocence so early.

“We also need to make schools stricter. And the army too. And institutions need to be made stricter for girls. They go through these three links, only then they reach a sex worker, a transgender person or a gay person. Let the children go through these three authorities first, and then let’s see if they reach gays, trans people and sex workers.”

The situation could change if sex work were legalized in Armenia, as this would provide an opportunity not only to work in the legal field, as lawyer Margaryan says, but also without fear of discrimination from the police, who can detain them for three hours at the police station to write up an arrest report, or, for example, beat them and cut off their hair.

Tigran says that he would like to work officially, including in order to pay taxes and count on free health insurance, the opportunity to receive treatment on time and a pension for old age.

However, as Armenia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs said in response to our inquiry, there are no plans to legalize sex work in Armenia. The agency said they had no figures regarding the number of sex workers in Armenia, nor the number of cases of domestic violence involving sex workers.

_________________

* Tigran, Christina and Lilith are fake names used to cover the identity of the subject.

_________________
This article was made possible by a grant by RightSide NGO.